It's Not That Kind of Thing
by MyNameIsCAL
Summary: After Iggy's death, Fang starts to lose himself. Despite not really wanting to get involved with Max, she may be the only one who can really save him. And will Dylan complicate things?
1. Chapter 1

**It's Not That Kind of Thing – Chapter 1**  
>By MyNameIsCAL<p>

**Originally I was going to kill Iggy in **_**Love is Blind**_**, but seeing as I couldn't drag out the story much longer, I figured I'd take the whole Iggy dying and Fang having to again confront his true feelings for Max would make a better story on it's own, plus now I'll give Dylan a chance with Max, as much as I dislike them being together, he's not necessarily a bad guy for her.**

**Well, guess we'll just forget about everything that happens in **_**Angel**_** and what not. The characters are just sort of here. I don't quite have the patience to deal with all the new characters that were introduced in **_**Angel**_**, and the plot from that, along with Fang leaving in the end of **_**Fang**_** doesn't quite fit for what I have planned here. So basically I'll just explain whatever happened in the past as the story goes on. Don't worry about trying to fit it in from the series.**

**Anyway, we'll start with Max's POV, then shift to Fang's, and alternate each chapter. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

-Max's POV-

I had never seen Fang cry before in my life, but when Iggy finally said his last words and his hand went limp in Fang's, tears flew like waterfalls.

No words were spoken. Nothing, just silence from the flock to accompany Fang's sobs. I closed my eyes and leaned against Dylan, his arm around me. He was biting his lip, but I gave in and closed my eyes, letting the tears roll down my cheeks.

Things had happened too fast. It started with headaches, but headaches turned into migraines, which soon became unbearable for Iggy. The last month had been painful to watch Fang flounder helplessly as the doctor discovered Iggy had a brain tumor and that there was nothing we could do about it.

They were supposed to get married next week, but under the circumstances, we ended up having them get married in Iggy's hospital room. We shared a few laughs and a few smiles, but at the end of the night, as I was the last to leave Fang and Iggy, you could tell that they were drained of everything but exhaustion.

I pulled myself together and glanced around the room. Dylan had his eyes closed. He and Fang had always been at odds, but mostly because Dylan was angry at him for hurting me, and although they had their differences, Fang had started to warm to him being accepted into the flock.

Angel had stepped out of the room. She could read all our thoughts, feel everything we were going through. I could only imagine how overwhelming that could be. Nudge was crying into Gazzy's shoulder, but he sat there, staring at Iggy and Fang, a shocked expression on his face, unsure of what to make of any of this.

The next few hours were a blur, and I found myself sitting in Fang's kitchen, the faint smell of Iggy's cooking still lingering even though it had been months since Iggy had last been home.

"You should go home to Dylan." Fang's voice came out hoarse. "He might…he might get the wrong idea."

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Even Dylan wasn't that paranoid.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I managed to ask.

He leaned heavily against the table. "For now."

Reluctantly, I let him lead me to the front door. He was too much of a gentleman, and it hurt to think that Iggy and him had so much more going for them. I wanted to cry all over again, but I resisted the urge and took off, letting the wind push back my tears.

* * *

><p>Iggy requested he be cremated, and it wasn't a surprise. It had pained Fang a lot to sit and go through the process of getting all the paperwork done, and by law in order to scatter the ashes to the ocean, we had to be three miles from the coast.<p>

We met at the dock where the boat company that specialized in scattering ashes at sea was based. Fang held the urn, eyes red. He had watched the cremation himself, and I had offered to come, but he said it was something he had to do alone. Iggy's ring now rested on a chain against chest. His eyes avoided mine as I approached him.

"I've decided…" He swallowed. "We'll scatter half of them."

The cold stung as the boat set out, wind against us. It was almost the middle of autumn now, but at least the sun was out. He sat out on the deck, asking us if he could be alone.

"I've never seen him so upset before." Nudge shook her head, hands planted in her lap.

"He's still upset he couldn't do it on the beach," Angel muttered.

The captain of the ship anchored us a short while later. We could still see the coastline here. Fang had asked if we could at least put ourselves three miles from the beach Iggy and he frequented. He rose, still holding the urn, and we started to head out onto the deck.

"I'll have the coordinates written down for you," the Captain said quietly. "Take your time. There's no rush to head back."

Fang leaned up against the railing, eyes closed. I took the first steps closer to him.

"I'm not ready for this, Max," he murmured. "I can't let go, not this fast."

"Fang…"

"The last time I went to the beach with Iggy, I had to practically carry him across the sand, but it made him so happy just to sit there and take in everything." Fang sucked in a breath. "He said…He said, 'Fang, when I'm gone, scatter my ashes here. That way if you ever leave, if you ever decide to take a new adventure somewhere else, I'd still be able to meet him at the ocean, even if I was on the other side of the world."

He leaned against me, trembling. "And then he pulled me into a kiss, mustering all the strength he could. He held me as I cried, as I sobbed about how unfair this all was. Then he promised me that everything would be okay, that I'd find someone else after he was gone, but I told him to stop talking like that, that the doctors would find a way to save him. How could I be such a fool to give myself false hope like that? He had been ready from the start to say goodbye, but me, I'm still hoping for a miracle."

I pulled my arms around him, and he buried his face into my shoulder. Usually it was him comforting me about whatever, and I didn't have the words to comfort him, but I didn't think he wanted to hear them anyway.

When the tears stopped, him wiped his eyes and turned back to the urn, taking off the cover. We each took a handful, and the wind took it off, to the water, and maybe even almost back towards the beach. Fang finished with the rest, and then we headed back into the cabin, sitting in silence.

"I'd like you to come over for dinner," Fang said. "I made some food."

Dylan was the only one who wasn't choking on their words. "Of course, Fang."

* * *

><p>The urn rested above the mantel. We sat and ate in the sitting room, the TV on the news, but on mute. Fang lit the fireplace, even though it was still probably too warm. I knew Iggy loved that fireplace, and insisted that they still burn wood instead of changing out to a gas one. He said it smelled different.<p>

The food Fang had made were recipes Iggy had left for him. He had come across the book when going through some drawer the other night. We pretty much ate without talking, a weight growing on us. Fang picked at his food, looking unsatisfied, glancing away from us every now and then. I wanted to go over to him and hug him, and promise things would be okay. But things had changed between us too, and even though he was there for me whenever I needed him, I could not do all those things in return.

Gazzy and Nudge were the first to leave. Simply because Nudge was drained and Gazzy no longer knew how to act around Fang. I knew he wanted to ask Nudge to marry him, but now that Iggy had gone and he and Fang had only been married for barely a week, Gazzy deemed it inappropriate.

"You guys don't have to stay here." Fang cleared his throat, finally finishing all the food on his plate. "I'm okay, really."

"You'll call if you need anything?" Angel asked hesitantly.

He nodded.

I took the empty plates to the kitchen and put them in the sink.

"Max…" Dylan came with the other plates, placing them in the sink. "Maybe we should stay here and make sure he's really alright."

"It'll only make him feel worse," I muttered.

"Then why don't you stay? I'll go home with Angel. Besides, she's got to head back to school tomorrow." Dylan pulled me into a hug. "Besides, Max, I may not like him as much as the rest of you do, but we're family right? And I know he needs you more than ever right now."

I closed my eyes, squeezing him back. "Alright, Dylan."

Fang led us to the front door, holding it open. Angel stood in front of him, and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Fang," she whispered. "I wish…I wish I could change things."

He hugged her back, looking like he might start crying. "Don't be. There was nothing you could do."

She gave him a small smile and then exited the house. Dylan paused briefly in front of Fang, shifting his weight between his feet.

"I'll never have the right things to say to you, but I truly am sorry." He patted Fang on the shoulder and closed the door behind him.

Fang's eyes fell to the floor. "You're staying?"

"I don't think you're in any state in being left alone," I admitted.

He turned away from me. "I guess Dylan has changed."

We sat in front of the fireplace and on the couch. The fire was dying out now, and Fang had his eyes fixated on it, as though he might be able to keep the fire alive with his gaze and give some hope that it was all a bad dream and Iggy would come bursting into the room.

I remembered the last time I was here. It was right before Iggy got moved to the hospital. Iggy had been lying the couch asleep, his head propped up against Fang's leg as a pillow. Fang had been sitting there, staring at the fire as Iggy slept, hand going through Iggy's hair slowly.

"I wish it were me instead," Fang had whispered to Iggy.

And I suddenly wished it had been me instead, so at least Fang and Iggy would have each other to cling onto. Dylan would have found other ways to cope. Or perhaps he would have simply left.

The phone rang, startling both Fang and me. He jolted off the couch, walking to the phone that was placed precisely on the edge of the table next to the door that led to the kitchen. I looked around the room, hoping to find some kind of distraction. This place was cleaner than my house, and mostly because it had to be that way for Iggy to get around. I wondered if that hurt Fang.

"Tuxedos?" I heard Fang question.

Oh no.

"Right…" He sucked in a breath. "Yeah, I'll pick them up tomorrow."

I could hear the person on the other end of the line. "Great. How's the rest of your wedding planning going?"

Fang shut his eyes. "The…The wedding's been cancelled."

He slammed the phone down and then leaned against the wall. Before I could react, he pulled his fist back and slammed it into the wall, clipping a picture frame, hand making a hole.

"Fuck." Fang swore, pulling his hand out of the wall. He bent forward, reaching for the frame, the glass broken in pieces. I heard him mutter something, but I couldn't make out the words.

As I approached him, I realized the picture was of him and Iggy. In fact I had taken it of them at the beach a couple months before Iggy had been diagnosed. The frame didn't really match the picture, and I had a feeling that Iggy had picked it out, based on its bright colors.

"We'll just take the glass out," I said quietly, kneeling down next to him. "I'll go out and buy another frame, and we'll take out the glass and put it in that one. It'll be good as new."

He slouched against me, and suddenly we were leaning up against the side of the couch, Fang hugging the picture, his head against my arm.

"Shhh, Fang, it's okay." I put my hand around his wrist, and he barely put up a fight as I pulled his hand towards me to examine it.

"I…I don't know why I did that," he whimpered.

"You're bleeding," I told him.

He glanced at his hand, wincing. His eyes were fixed on his rings now. It was Iggy who had proposed to him, on the beach of course. His engagement ring had red edges, a bluish silver in the inside. I'm pretty sure it was Gazzy who had taken Iggy to get it. Fang's wedding band was silver, Iggy's name etched around the outside. Iggy's, I knew, had Fang's name.

"Iggy…Iggy asked me to marry him the day we found out about his tumor." Fang gulped, pulling his hand away. "And he would have told you sooner about his tumor, but because of me, he waited because I couldn't handle telling you all."

We sat in silence on the floor. I remember it was Christmas. Iggy had sat us down and told us as soon as everyone got there. Fang had said nothing, expression giving away nothing, and I knew he had been acting strangely up until then, but it made me realize that the look in his eyes that seemed to border somewhere between being preoccupied and tired was really from pain and exhaustion.

That was only barely a year ago. The time for me had been so long, but for Fang it must have been a blink of an eye, and instead of me sitting there and comforting him, I started to cry. Fang put his arm around me gingerly, and like old times, our silence said more than our words.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's Not That Kind of Thing – Chapter 2**

By MyNameIsCAL

-Fang's POV-

Iggy never shed a single tear over the fact that he was going to die. I had done all the crying for that. The only crying he ever did was for me.

I still remember the day well. After the doctor had broken the news to us, he insisted we go to the beach and take a walk. All the way to the beach I said nothing. I couldn't speak a word because I was fighting the tears. We walked all the way to where the ocean met the sand.

"Fang," he had said quietly after I had set up the blanket for us to sit on. "Fang, everything will be okay."

It was then that I burst into tears. He held me until I couldn't cry another tear. That was when he pulled out the ring. I couldn't believe it, but I said yes of course.

I did a lot more crying after that. For the first month after knowing, it didn't take much to make me break down. Iggy had been so patient, even when I got angry at him for being so calm. Even when I wanted to hate myself and everyone else. Even when I cursed God for being so cruel.

Max had fallen asleep on the couch, so I left her to go to my bed. I wasn't tired though.

"Fang, you have to sleep."

I glanced up to see Iggy standing at the end of my bed.

"We can't live like this, Fang."

"We don't have to _live_. I don't have to be trapped here without you," I replied.

He shook his head. "Fang, I'm nothing but a figment of your imagination. One day you'll wake up and you won't be able to tell what's real and what's fake. I don't want that. I want you to be happy. I want you to move on."

I just stared at him, fighting the tears now.

Iggy sat down next to me, his hand resting on my cheek now. "You promised me, Fang. You promised you wouldn't torture yourself."

I shut my eyes. "I know, Iggy."

"I will always be here for you, Fang." He pointed to my heart and then dropped his hand into his lap. "But I don't want to be here all the time. You'll make it through. I know you can. I know you're strong, Fang. We'll be together again someday, but for now, you have to live. Live for me, Fang."

I nodded as the tears streamed down my face. When I opened my eyes again, he was gone.

* * *

><p>The next week I tried to clear my head. I walked in the morning and went out to eat for lunch and dinner. Iggy was there though. He walked beside me, he sat across from me, and he'd be in there next to me in bed before I fell asleep. I was desperately holding on to nothing. The glances the people gave me when I passed were over my head. I wanted to refuse reality and replace it with my own. It wouldn't last. I always knew it wouldn't last, but I denied that too.<p>

Whatever part of my mind Iggy was coming from was obviously my rational side. He kept telling me I needed to talk to Max, that I needed to tell her that I needed help. It was all so real though. I told him I'd much rather go insane than face the truth.

It was by accident that I noticed my phone plugged into its charger on top of my dresser tonight. I had unplugged the landlines. Max called every day. My inbox was full when I flipped my phone open.

"Fang, call her back. She's worried about you." Iggy appeared next to me. "She loves you, Fang. Don't shut her out."

"I'll call her in the morning." I shut my phone and buried it in my sock drawer.

And like most nights, I'd go lay in bed and cry myself to sleep. Iggy would stay sometimes, and other times he would go.

When I woke up the next morning, I'd look at his side of the bed. It had been made for weeks even before he had died. I inhaled. The bed sheets still smelled like him.

_You said you'd call Max_, his voice seemed to whisper. Yet this time, he didn't appear.

I dragged myself out of bed and called Max. She answered right away. That wasn't a surprise.

"I just wanted to check on you," she said, but she sounded relieved. "Do you want to come over for dinner? Or I can get you food..."

"What time should I come over?" I asked her.

"Whenever you'd like. We'll be eating at six. Dylan just went out to get groceries." She paused. "But really, whenever you want."

"I've got to shower and change." I touched my face. "And shave. I'll be over in an hour maybe."

Max, like she said, was the only one home when I got there. She greeted me with a hug, and maybe I needed it because we stood there for a while like that. When we broke apart, she lifted her hand and then dropped it.

"What?" I questioned.

"You shaved," she said.

"Iggy…Iggy hated it when I didn't." I let out a breath.

She gave me a small smile.

"Are you sure it's ok for me to be here?"

"Of course," she insisted. "C'mon let's go to the kitchen. Do you want something to drink?"

Coffee. I wanted coffee. I wanted the coffee that Iggy made.

"Water's good."


	3. Chapter 3

**It's Not That Kind of Thing – Chapter 3**

By MyNameIsCAL

-Max's POV-

After I had gotten Fang to come over for dinner that night, I spent the next three weeks keeping him occupied. I thought that he even seemed a little happier. Then one day he stopped answering my phone calls again. I knew it would be no use to keep calling him again and again, so I let him be.

"So what do you think about having Christmas here?" I asked Dylan.

He looked up from his newspaper. "Sure, whatever you want, Max."

I let out a sigh. His patience had been wearing thin lately.

"Dylan, why do you gotta be so difficult sometimes?"

This time he kept his eyes on the paper. "Max, you haven't done anything but worry about Fang for the past three weeks. He's not a little kid and he can take care of himself."

I took in a breath, fighting the urge to yell at Dylan for his insensitivity.

"I know you care a lot about him." Dylan put down the paper. "But maybe I'm just a little frustrated because he's taking up all your time. I feel like I miss you Max, but you're right here."

"I'm sorry, Dylan."

"Nah, it's okay, Max. I understand it all." He gave me a forced smile. "Look, why don't we go out to dinner tonight? Clear our heads."

"That would be great."

He smiled for real this time. "Great, I'll make a reservation."

* * *

><p>I sat by the phone hoping Fang would call. Today was supposed to Fang and Iggy's wedding. When Dylan entered the room, I almost jumped.<p>

"What's the matter with you?" he frowned.

"Fang and Iggy were supposed to get married today," I said, settling back into my seat.

Dylan let out a sigh. "Why don't you go and check on him then?"

"Why do you have to be such a hard ass about Fang?"

"Because I feel like he knows you're going to go check on him eventually. He wants your attention. He's lonely and he wants you, not any of us to comfort him."

"You think he's trying to steal me or something?" I let out a laugh. "Dylan, Iggy just died and you seem to be the only one who's not grieving. And would you get it through your hard head that just because you were created to be my perfect half doesn't mean that's the truth!"

He only stared back at me. That was the one thing he hated to hear and I'll admit now that maybe I had crossed the line.

"I'm going. Call me if you need anything."

Dylan said nothing as I pulled on my jacket and exited to the back yard.

Fang wasn't there when I arrived at his house. All the lights were off, but the car wasn't in the garage. That meant he could only be at one other place.

The beach was chilly. I landed further behind Fang and then took a seat next to him on his blanket. He said nothing to me for a while, tossing flowers into the ocean. Then he handed me one.

"I had a feeling you'd be able to find me," he said, his voice hoarse.

I tossed the flower into the incoming tide. There were others there already. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

Fang dropped the last one he had too into the water. "I'm alright, thanks for checking up on me."

We sat there again in silence.

"Are you hungry?" Fang started to go through the small cooler in front of us. He handed me a sandwich wrapped in plastic.

"Thanks." I unwrapped it and started to eat. Truth was that I had eaten a lot before I came, but it was just to occupy my hands.

He began to unwrap his own. "Dylan's upset."

It wasn't a question.

"Well, yeah."

Fang shook his head. "Could I...be honest with you for a minute?"

"Of course."

"I personally don't think Dylan's taking any better care of you than I did." He breathed out, staring at his sandwich. "He's become wired on the fact that he's _supposed_ to be with you. In fact, he thinks he's entitled to having you. But I don't know, I just don't feel like that's right."

That perhaps was the most personal thing that Fang had said to me in a long time. I wanted to agree, but I knew that if I did verbally say so, I'd be betraying Dylan.

"I never said I'm sorry, did I?" He took a bite out of his sandwich, almost thoughtfully.

"It doesn't really matter anymore," I said, almost laughing. "If I didn't forgive you, do you think I'd still be sitting here next to you?"

"It matters to me," he said quietly. "Thanks for not hating me, Max."

We sat some more without talking, but at that moment, nothing else needed to be said.

* * *

><p>The week before Christmas arrived like a train off its tracks. Fang and I had only talked a few times over the past month and I had only seen him once. He seemed to be doing ok though, and I tried to give him some space. Maybe that's all he really needed anyways.<p>

Dylan seemed to be in a better mood though. Christmas was his favorite holiday. He and Angel had decorated the house together. Sometimes I felt like she understood him more than I did.

"So I had this idea," Gazzy said as we sat watching the two of them put up the tree. "Well, it was Nudge's idea actually."

Nudge rolled her eyes, but went on reading her fashion magazine.

"Actually," Gazzy continued. "It's not really an idea anymore. I've already done it."

He reached into the inside pocket of his blazer, probably one which Nudge had made for him, and produced a photo. It was a picture of a decent sized boat.

"I bought it for Fang. It'll be his Christmas present from all of us," Gazzy explained. "I thought maybe it'd be nice for him to go out in it, you know?"

I nodded. "I think he'll love it."

But I said like a train off its tracks, right? Well, Christmas Eve, despite everything to be seemingly going well up until then, was a disaster.

We were all in the kitchen waiting for Fang to arrive. He was late, which was now annoying Dylan. Mostly because Dylan wanted to cook, but Fang had insisted on doing it because traditionally, it was Iggy's job. I called Fang again, but he still didn't answer. He had probably woken up late and was in the shower, but after an hour and a half of nothing, Dylan was agitated and the rest of us were worried.

"I'm going to go check on him," I said.

Angel rose. "I'll come with you."

Just as we were about to leave, the phone rang. It wasn't Fang though. It was the hospital.


	4. Chapter 4

**It's Not that Kind of Thing – Chapter 4**

By MyNameIsCAL

-Max's POV-

I had to sit down as the nurse told me what happened. It took me a minute to respond that I would be there as soon as I could. I felt sick after a hung up.

Fang had thrown himself in front of oncoming traffic. He had just been taken into surgery with extensive injuries. I wouldn't get any details until I got there, and frankly, they didn't know anything. I knew I didn't have to explain to everyone what I had just been told. They had all been listening too.

I couldn't help but feel it was my fault for not looking after Fang though. It had been a mistake to think that he just wanted space. What he needed was to know someone cared about him.

"He's going to be okay, Max," Angel whispered.

We started to move around to get our jackets to go to the hospital. When I turned, expecting to see Dylan, I was met by an empty space. He still sat in the kitchen.

"Dylan, aren't you coming?" I asked.

He closed his eyes. "Max, I cannot go there and pretend I care."

"Do we mean nothing to you, Dylan?" I started towards him. "After all we've been through? The fact that we even decided to trust you?"

"I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt again, Max," he said, his voice barely audible.

I'm not sure what got into me after that, but I lunged at him, my fist connect with the side of his face. Gazzy managed to pull me back before I could even think of punching him again.

"I thought I loved you, Dylan." I forced his eyes to meet mine. "Even though I thought it was completely insane about how you were cloned just to be with me. I thought that didn't matter, but to you, that's all that matters!"

"Max…" He seemed dazed, rubbing the side of his head.

"Max, that's enough." Gazzy started to pull me towards the garage.

"You see, he's won you over already!" Dylan slammed his fist onto the table. "Damnit, Max! You know I don't just love you because that's why I was created!"

I expected to see the hurt in his eyes that I saw whenever we fought, but this time it was absent. Had Fang been right all those weeks ago on the beach? Did he think that he as entitled to having me?

"Max, c'mon, we have to go." Gazzy finally pulled me into the garage. I handed him the keys and we sped off.

* * *

><p>-Fang's POV-<p>

I stood in darkness with Iggy. This wasn't heaven though. This wasn't what I had picture what life after death was going to be.

"You aren't dead, Fang," Iggy said softly. "It's not your time yet."

"Yes it is!" I shouted at him, right in his face.

He set his hands on my shoulders. "Look at me, Fang. You have to live. You have to move on. I will be here for you always. I've told you that before. Why won't you believe me?"

"We can stay here."

Iggy let go of me. "You can. I'll fade away eventually. C'mon, Fang. There will be time again later for us to be together again."

I dropped to my knees and grasped onto him. "Don't leave me."

"I never left you, Fang." He rested his hand on top of my head. "Please don't cry, Fang. It'll be okay, I promise. I always promised you that and I wouldn't lie to you, you know that."

I nodded into his leg, my eyes shut.

When I opened them, he was gone, and the dark was fading into light. I let it take me, too weak to fight anymore.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I was in the hospital and they were bringing me into the operating room. Some person shoved a mask over my mouth and nose. A different kind of darkness took me this time, one I would have no recollection of.

* * *

><p>-Max's POV-<p>

Fang had barely survived getting hit. He had jumped in front of one car and got hit before stumbling into the other lane only to be hit again. Both his legs were broken and he had a few cracked ribs. He had cuts everywhere and his hand was broken in three places. The doctor told me he was lucky to be alive and without and head trauma. I slouched into the chair next to Fang's bed, staring at him all cut up and swollen, bruised and bandaged.

"You should go home," I said to Angel. "I'll wait here."

She nodded and led the others out.

"I'm sorry, Fang," I whispered. "I should have known better than this."

It wasn't until around lunch time the next day that Fang came to. My instinct was to take his hand and he gave me a weak squeeze.

"Max…" He opened his eyes and then shut them. "Max, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" I shook my head, trying to fight the tears.

He breathed out. "Please don't cry, Max."

I bit my lip.

"I haven't been honest with you." He turned his head so he was speaking towards me, but his eyes were still closed. "I've…I've been seeing Iggy. I guess they're hallucinations. We had a fight before I left, and I guess it threw me over the edge…"

"Why didn't you ever say something to me?"

"Because I thought you'd think I was crazy." Then he added, "Well, I thought everyone else would think that."

"I should have…I should have been better about looking after you." He couldn't just blame himself.

"You did the best you could." He gave my hand another squeeze and the pulled it from my grip. "Go home, Max. I've ruined Christmas. You should stop worrying about me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Fang."

He let out another breath and drifted off to sleep before anything else could be said.


	5. Chapter 5

**It's Not That Kind of Thing – Chapter 5**

By MyNameIsCAL

-Fang's POV-

I saw Iggy every now and then, but since being brought to the hospital, he had only spoken to me twice. I told him I was sorry, but he said it didn't matter and that he was glad I was okay. Or maybe I guess it was more so that I was comforting myself.

Then there was Max. She was here every day. I didn't want to admit it, but I needed her. If it weren't for her, I'd probably stay here forever and waste away. Max was here because…of Dylan. _No. Because of you_.

Iggy told me that the other time he talked to me. _She still loves you._ I guess I knew that though. It was the reason things never really took off with Dylan. It was also the reason she was so quick to volunteer to look after me. That was the only reason the doctor agreed to release me.

I would be out of here tomorrow. In a wheelchair, but nevertheless out of the hospital. Two days a week I was supposed to be in therapy. Max had talked me into it and I guess it was better than staying here.

"Go to sleep, Fang."

I looked up to see Iggy sitting on the couch.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" I pleaded.

He nodded.

But being here in the hospital reminded me too much of our last day. I had been lying in bed with Iggy. He was barely coherent because of the pain.

"I love you," he had said.

"I love you too."

He gripped my hand weakly. "Don't cry, Fang."

"Please don't go," I had begged. "Don't leave me I- I love you so much..."

Iggy turned his head to face me. "I have to, Fang. You h-have to go on without me. I know you can. I believe in you, Fang."

"Iggy…" Tears streamed down my face. I put my hand on his cheek and pulled him into a kiss. He was smiling when I pulled away. Those pale eyes met mine for the last time.

"I love you, Fang," he repeated.

"I love you too, Iggy…Iggy…"

He squeezed my hand and then closed his eyes. A few seconds later, the smile faded from his face and his hand went limp in mine. Max had to pull me away from him. She was the one who brought me home in my mess of tears. I was biting my lip, trying to force the tears away.

"Fang…" Iggy's voice snapped me back to the present. "Please, don't torture yourself."

And so I closed my eyes and tried to find sleep. When I woke in the morning, Max sat on the couch where Iggy had been.

* * *

><p>I spent two more weeks in the hospital before they agreed to discharge me, and only because Max said she would be staying with me. Although I was reluctant, I knew I wouldn't have lasted a day in one of those programs where I had to live in some kind of mental ward. Having to see a therapist? I could deal with that.<p>

Today was the day though. I was finally going home. Max was outside speaking to the doctor about my medication and also my therapist. I felt like a kid needing to be watched, but in the back of my mind I also knew I needed it.

"Today's the day you get back on your feet."

I looked up to see Iggy standing at the end of my bed.

"Are you trying to be funny?" I muttered.

He smiled a little. "Maybe. But seriously, Fang. Max has always been your best friend. You can't forget that she cares about you as much as me."

"I know."

"Then don't be so anxious."

The door opened and Iggy disappeared. Max came and stood right where he was before.

"You ready to go?" she asked me.

"I guess so."

A couple of nurses came in and helped me into a wheelchair. Max told them she'd push me out. They seemed reluctant, but they left us.

"Are you sure about this, Max?" I questioned. "I mean, what about Dylan? I know there's plenty wrong with me, but I know something's been bothering you too."

"Fang…"

"Max, this isn't going to work if we keep things from each other."

She let out a breath. "You're right…"

"Let's get out of here first. We can talk at home."

* * *

><p>Our first stop was the pharmacy to get my prescriptions filled. Then we picked up pizza for dinner. I was sitting on the couch now with my legs up on the couch and Max was in the other armchair.<p>

"Dylan and I have been fighting about you," Max finally said. "But you knew that already. I just didn't want you to worry about it. It's not a big deal, really. You know how he is."

I took another bite of my pizza to give me a chance to think. Dylan had rightfully won Max over. I took that chance when I left all those years ago. "I don't want to drive you two apart."

"Maybe a little space is good." She tried to give me a smile.

"I can talk to him if you want."

Max shook her head. "He's just stubborn."

"Well you tell him he's welcome here anytime he wants."

"That's nice of you…"

"I'll knock some sense into him," I added.

She smiled a little.


End file.
